Busy weekend for police at the northern Ravenna/Roosevelt boundary (Update of Saturday incidents)

UPDATE (Tuesday, September 20): The word on those three incidents on Saturday, September 17, from North Precinct Officer Thomas (via email; emphasis mine):

The first two incidents you mention are the same looking at the event #. In this incident a male was almost home when he was approached by three subjects. One pointed what looked like a gun at the victim and asked him “what he had.” The others told him to put the “heater” away. They were not located. The other incident was a [domestic violence] assault with an arrest. Incident #2011-307248.

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It’s been a busy couple of days for police officers in the area just north of the NE 65th St and 15th Ave NE intersection.


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Here are three FOUR police-related incidents we’re currently working on.

Friday

Ravenna and Roosevelt residents in the area of 15th Avenue NE between NE 65th St and NE 75th St may have woken up a bit on the early side on Friday morning, September 16.

Two residents reported hearing two loud bangs/explosions just after 5 AM that morning. Several others remarked about a hovering helicopter in the area. Metro bus routes 72 and 73 (northbound only) were rerouted around the area during this time, “due to an incident.”

Local resident Sue went so far as to call the Seattle Police Department (at, we assume, their public information number) and was told (per her email to us), “[T]he helicopters might be related to a Bellevue police search for someone on an arrest warrant.”

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ADDED Saturday, 10:24 PM: The editor over at Roosiehood emailed over the following from area resident Kelly (written on Roosiehood’s Facebook page):

I called the police Friday AM and they told me the explosions were some sort of compression bombs that were launched by the Bellevue police to flush someone they had a search warrant for out of one of the Sisley properties. Seattle police were aware of the situation. It really frightened me!

Reminder: At this time, I do not have confirmation of an address or block that the Bellevue Police were targeting that morning.

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We were able to confirm through SPD Officer Brian Thomas (the Community Police Team member for the area) that the Bellevue Police had been in the area, but he had no further information on the activity.

Our call to the Bellevue Police Department Public Information Officer on Friday has gone unanswered, thus far.

If/When we learn more information about this activity, we will update this post.

Saturday

[Recent update for this section is at the top of this post.]

There have been two three events in the area so far today:

  1. This morning at 1:12 AM, an armed robbery took place on the 6800 block of 16th Ave NE.
  2. This morning at 4 AM, an armed burglary (with a gun) was reported in the 1500 block of 68th Avenue NE.
  3. At approximately 10 AM, Ravenna resident Sarah reported (via text) “Cops all over 65 n 15th now!” and, when asked about which kind of police (Seattle or Bellevue), she said, “Spd they were arresting[.]”

We will get in touch with Officer Thomas tomorrow (Sunday) and see if he can provide any more information on these two three incidents. Updates will be posted below.

Now, let’s all have a quiet Sunday, shall we?

Community meeting about rezoning Roosevelt, next Monday

One of Sislely's properties (Photo courtesy of Glenn Roberts; http://glennroberts.wordpress.com/)

Want to know just what exactly the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association’s plan would mean for our area’s future  — and the future zoning of the Sisley properties at NE 65th Street and 15th Avenue NE?

The Roosevelt Neighborhood Association’s Land Use Committee is holding a general meeting for the community to learn about the RNA’s rezoning plan and the city’s Department of Planning and Development’s analysis of it.

The meeting will be held at Calvary Christian Assembly (6801 Roosevelt Way NE), Room 300, on Monday, November 15th, from 7-9 pm.

Your participation would be GREATLY appreciated for a few reasons:

  • This is THE meeting to attend if you would like to learn about the RNA’s neighborhood rezoning plans – It is a general community meeting designed to get us Regular Joes in the neighborhood up to speed on what we could be living next to in the future;
  • The City Council is expected to act on the RNA’s neighborhood rezoning plan in the first half of 2010, and a sizeable amount of community participation is crucial for making it happen;
  • If you (or your family, or your friends) have ever driven down NE 65th Street and wondered “What gonna be done with these boarded up shacks?!” THIS meeting should address those concerns.

For more information about this meeting, contact rna@rooseveltseattle.org.

Sisleyville and the RNA Plan: Next Steps

The public commenting period for the Environmental Impact Survey on the Sisley properties rezoning has closed, the city’s Committee on the Built Environment got an earful from residents, and the full City Council voted to the remove the Roosevelt Development Groups’ amendment from consideration for Seattle’s 2011 Comprehensive Plan review.

WHAT’S NEXT?

What SHOULD go here instead?

The Land Use Committee of the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association meets tonight (7-9pm) at Calvary Christian Assembly Church (6801 Roosevelt Way NE).

Here’s a description of tonight’s meeting (from the RNA’s Events In Roosevelt page):

[T]wo representatives from DPD (Dept. of Planning & Development) at our meeting to discuss the zoning recommendations made by the community in 2006.  This is a preliminary briefing and discussion by and with DPD, prior to a broader community meeting later this Fall.  Late this year or early next, DPD will make their official recommendation to City Council on neighborhood rezoning.

If you are interested in what the plan would look like (as well as what some of the RDG’s plans would mean for the neighborhood, here is a pdf from May 2009 showing various zoning changes and the resulting buildings.

Sisleyville Scoping Comments Deadline TOMORROW

If you’ve been putting off telling the city how you feel about potential development in your neighborhood, you’re OUT OF TIME!

The deadline for public comments about the Environmental Impact Survey for the Roosevelt Development Group’s proposed zoning changes is this Wednesday, September 1.

That’s TOMORROW.

Here’s the Quick and Dirty version of what to do (as posted in the Tremendously Long and Thorough version of a few days ago):

  1. Look at this page. Read the top.
  2. Read about the proposed rezoning alternatives (all six).
  3. Look at these comment-making suggestions.
  4. Think.
  5. Type.
  6. Email your comments to Shelley Bolser (shelley.bolser@seattle.gov) at the Department of Planning and Development.

This is OUR neighborhood, this is OUR conversation. Make your voice heard.

Sisleyville EIS Scoping Comments Deadline Nears

NOW is the time to send in your thoughts about the proposed rezoning of the properties around 15th Ave NE and NE 65th St, if you haven’t already.  The deadline for public comments about the Environmental Impact Survey for the Roosevelt Development Group’s proposed zoning changes is next Wednesday, September 1.

If you feel well-informed on the issue, feel free to skip down to the “How should I send in my input?” part of this blog post and start there.

For the rest of us (myself included), I’ve hunted down answers to some common questions about the scoping process AND what the content and form of our comments should be.

What is the scoping process?

I found the following description of the scoping process in the Enviromental Scoping Information Report (EIS) for the East Link Project (applies to our situation as well; emphasis mine):

The purpose of scoping is to determine the range of alternatives and identify the potentially significant issues to be analyzed in depth in the EIS. The scoping process is also intended to eliminate detailed study of those issues that are not significant and those issues that have been addressed by prior studies. This scoping process includes public meetings at which anyone may have their oral comments recorded and/or provide written comments. Written comments are encouraged throughout the scoping period.

In other words: Developers want to make big changes in your area. Here are their plans. What do you think?

There have been two public meetings on the Roosevelt/Ravenna rezone issue where public comments were recorded (sort of; DPD tries to explain what happened here, Glenn Roberts gives his impression here). Now the comment collection window is closing. It’s time to let the city know what YOU think about these rezone plans!

Why should I send in my input?

Again: Developers want to make big changes in your area. Here are their plans. What do you think?

It’s in OUR neighborhood where these proposed changes may take place, OUR backyards. It doesn’t matter whether you support the rezones or not: You should let your City know what you think, either way.

What should my input look like?

The Roosevelt Neighborhood Association has an excellent list of comment suggestions (MSWord doc) that will help you organize your thoughts in writing (no matter what side of the issue you’re on):

  • Briefly explain who you are and why you are interested in the project.
  • Comment only on issues relevant to the decision being made.
  • State informed opinions and, where possible, include data to support your opinion.
  • Keep focused on your objective.  You want DPD to hear your concerns and be compelled enough to investigate further.
  • Ask for studies that you think are important but have not been provided.
  • Ask to be added to the project mailing list and request a copy of the notice of decision. (You must give your mailing address, because notices are only sent through US Mail.)

The DPD has already identified six key elements for discussion in the Environmental Impact Survey for the Sisley properties (DPD Notice of Determination of Significance):

  • Height, bulk and scale
  • Land use
  • Parking
  • Housing
  • Shadows on open spaces
  • Traffic and Transportation

Now, the Roosevelt Development Group has outlined six different proposals for the EIS which were on display at the last scoping meeting on July 21st.  You may want to address specific plans in your comments (for instance, the plan that rezones the area for 160-foot-tall buildings). You can find a description of those alternatives here. Graphics of the six alternatives are also online (pdf, 5.6 MB file).

If you want to be a Thorough Theodore, you may want to apply ALL SIX key elements (Height, bulk and scale; Land use; etc.) to ALL SIX of the RDG’s six proposals.  Yeah, that’s a lot of work, but that’s what happens when a developer throws six different proposals out all at once.

If you like some direction on which of the six proposals you should spend your time on, Glenn Roberts (Roosevelt-Ravenna Zoning Issues) has the following to say (emphasis mine):

I agree with almost every remark made [in the scoping meeting transcripts]. And strongly agree that only Options #1, 2, and 6 be studied in the EIS. #1 is no change, #2 is the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association rezoning plan, and #6 (because it is so patently ridiculous) the 160′ RDG proposal.

How should I send in my input?

  • By email: You may send along your comments to Shelley Bolser (shelley.bolser@seattle.gov) at the Department of Planning and Development.
  • By fax: (206) 233-7902
  • By mail: Here is a Blank RDG EIS Scoping Comment Form (pdf) you can mail in, also to Shelley. This comment form includes the list of six key elements for discussion mentioned above.  The address is:

City of Seattle
Department of Planning and Development, Attn: Shelley Bolser
700 5th Avenue, Suite 2000
PO BOX 34019
Seattle, WA 98124-4019

However you choose to send your comments in, INCLUDE THE PROJECT NUMBER: 3010100.

TO SUM UP:

  1. Print out this page. Read the top.
  2. Read about the proposed rezoning alternatives (all six).
  3. Look at these comment-making suggestions.
  4. Think.
  5. Write.
  6. Send it to the DPD by September 1.

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References

Twitter Feed Round-Up for August 14

Ack! It’s been a while. Time for another Ravenna Blog Twitter Feed Round-Up.

[If you can’t understand why people find twitter to be so fascinating/addicting, I made a comment last night about seeing lots of police cars go by on NE 75th St, and then watched the whole Wedgwood QFC shooting story unfold, in near real time, on twitter. Beat that, local TV news.]

Most recent at the top:

  • Sand Point @MetMarket now carrying California Olive Ranch olive oil. As local an olive oil as you can get, for now. #climatechange
  • There’s also a depressing University Link Light Rail Countdown Clock. 2268 days, 15 hours, 46 minutes and counting. Oy.
  • The @seatransitblog post on PSRC funding recommendations includes a pic of the Roosevelt Light Rail Station: http://bit.ly/bZRT28
  • You CAN download an “I vote!” icon, however. They know you miss that sticker. http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/widgets.aspx
  • Ballots need to be in the MAIL by tomorrow: No drop-offs at Neighborhood Service Centers. Can’t tweet your choices to @kcnews, either.
  • Eight chickens for everyone! As long as they’re ≥10 feet from primary residential structures, and aren’t boys.
  • Recycle week. Yay.
    Seattle can drop trash to every other week as long as recycling becomes weekly.
    IMHO.
  • @sallybagshaw is now following us. Triple word score! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDcem5dpFwY #harassingnewestfollower
  • Also, NE 45th St Viaduct Project: the flickr set – http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdot_photos/sets/72157624263204995/
  • SDOT Update: 22nd Ave NE to NE 45th St to reopen by Saturday! SDOT still on track to reopen the NE 45th St viaduct by September 10!
  • Dahl Park Wading Pool closes for the year on Thursday, August 19th (last day). “But MOOOOOM (and @SeattleParks) – Summer just started!”
  • Story on @Crosscut about Sisleyville and development – Roosevelt’s dilemma: How should a neighborhood grow? http://tinyurl.com/3xj5m45
  • 50 facebook followers! Number 50 is the guy who needs the garage. Really gotta find him a garage now.
  • McSweeney’s (John Flowers) recommends “The Newspaper” as best e-reader on the market. Hats! http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2010/8/11flowers.html
  • Field trip! Gonna ride the light rail to Columbia City, get ourselves some Tutta Bella, South. Can’t wait until 2020 for lunch today.

My personal favorite:

  • Driving by 15th Ave NE & NE 65th St this morning, my TWO-AND-A-HALF YEAR OLD asks when those buildings will be torn down. #Sisleyville